The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-06-05
A CITY OF MANY SECRET SOCIETIES.
The Great Number of Lodges Here and Their
Membership-0rders of Local Origin.

few years ago it was considered something
of distinction for a citizen to belong to secret
order and the dirge of the dead march in Saul
as its wailing notes trailed out from the brass
band upon the sbudderng air was sure to bring
the population for squares and squares around to
the street upon which the funeral march moved.
Il was not every day occurrence then to be
buried by a secret order and brass band, hap
pening to few persons more than once in life
time. and those who were taken to their last rest
ing place under such auspices were looked upon
as highly favored indeed. 1t has of late years
become common a thing to be buried by men
and women in reGalia and to the sound of brazen
horns that there is much less conspicuity attach
ing to the ceremony. review Of the great
number of secret societies in this city and the
immense membership attaching to them would
lead to the inference that man and hardly
any woman in Indianapolis can be borne to his
or her last resting place without causing loss in
membership to one more secret benevolent
ORDERS while there are citizens who, if they were
to drop off, would change the record in dozen
or more of such societies
Many of these societies have grown up within
the past ten years TO a Furnishing mem oership
particularly those that have a system of life in
surance attached. Outside of this city the Ma
sons and Odd-fellows greatly outnumber other
of the new orders the beneficiary plan have
nearly or quite as large a membership these
two older orders. There are Masonic
lodges, blue lodges. they called-that is
comforting the first three GeGrees-and the mem
bershp IS 1850. In addition to these there are
enough more Master Masons in the city having
membership elsewhere to make the total 2 900.
or the higher orders in Masonry no numbers
need be given az to belong to the higher mem
Der must of necessity have first received the
blue-lodge degrees. There are eight lodges of
we're
enlan and Corinthian lodges consolidated the
other day, the latter merging into the former.
The membership is 900. while there about
$50 more Odd-fellows here who belong 20 lodges
elsewhere. These white Masons and Odd
fellows The colored men have separate organ
izatons. and it is estimated that there about
800 colored Masons and half that number of col
ored Odd fellows here
The knights of Pythias, a comparatively young
order. the fret lodge in this city having been or
ganized July IL, 1869, now has here 800
members There two companies of the
Uniform Rank, which. like the Knights Temp
lars IN Masonry and the Patriarchs Militant IN
Odd-fell owship, are military as to uniform and
drill, and have achieved much celebrity for
tactical proficiency. The Masous and Odd-fel-
lows both have feminine members-the first the
Order OF the Eastern Star and the other the
Daughters of Rebekah, while the Knights of
Pythias thus far are all of the gender masculine.
There are four lodges of Improved Order of
he'd Men, with membership of more than 500.
The Ancient Order of Druids. $50; Ancient Or
der of United Workmen, three lodges $50. The
knights of Labor. which can hardly be classed
with the foregoing. it is to a certain extent a
political association. claims a membership here
of moro than !, 900. The Order of Chosen Friends,
which organized in this city May %, 1879,
has, including the Brightwood council, eleven
councils or lodges here, with mem bership of
1000, one-thirc of whom
The Royal Arcanum. with five conn
ellis, for men Only, has 500 members.
The order of the Secret League, Indian
apolis institution, started August, 1884. which
has spread all over the United States, has eight
lodges here with n membership of 1000. The
Columbic Union, order for and
women, has a mem bership of 40. The Order of
the Iron Hall. gotten up in this city, has mem
bershlp OF go In this city. Its mem bership IS
of men exclusively, as is that of the Knights of
Honor, with 500 members In six lodges. There
are four lodges of Knights and Ladies of Honor,
with mem bershlD of 5OO United Order of
Honor. fourteen lodges, 900 members; Grand
Army of Fraternity, recently organized, so men;
Mystic Circle, men and women, 70 member
Golden Chain, one lodge. 80 members.
There is lodge of Benevolent and Pro-
tective Order of Elks, with membership Of
about one hundred. This order in it's memb er-
members of the theatrical profession.
In addition to the foregoing there many
others. The Grand Army of the Republic and
the ladies of the Relief Corps cannot be proper
and Ladies of the Golden Rule and knights and
Ladies of Universal Brotherhood, both in a
f1ourishiDg condition"and increasing in member
ship. There are several colored organizations,
besides the Masons and Odd fellows, among
which are the United Brothers of Friendship
and the Doves of Protection. The latest organ
ization bears the title Progressive Order of
Owls 1t is white and. as the name will indi-
cate, composed exclusively of men. Its objects
are benevolent. protective and social. On next
Tuesday evening a meeting will be held for the
purpose of adopting a regalia.